Katie Brandt

How can we pivot during COVID-19?

How can we pivot during COVID-19?

COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, is quickly uprooting plans and normality for many businesses. Causing fear personally and financially, coronavirus may be disrupting many different aspects of your business. So, how can you embrace pivoting and fix roadblocks during COVID-19?

Through our marketing efforts in the midst of COVID-19, I have learned even more than anticipated. We have learned to increase flexibility and adjust during stressful times, and how to lead during a crisis. The most notable of the lessons we’ve learned are:

Accepting that roadblocks occur; fix them quickly.

Dive deep into digital

Understand that pivoting is okay. The world changes, and with that businesses change.

Through these lessons, we believe others can begin to find ways to pivot their businesses during COVID-19 and other global or economic challenges.

Fix roadblocks quickly.

At Modthink, we have continued using our agile methodology, including daily scrum calls and sprint planning meetings. Our scrums have become one of the key ways we stay focused and connected while working remotely. Through scrums, we say what we did the previous day, what we plan to accomplish today, and any roadblocks we have. Our productivity through adversity continues to amaze me.

While it is clear COVID-19 is a disruption to many aspects of personal life, it also affects business in many ways. By confirming the pandemic as a roadblock to your business, you confirm that the whole team is on the same page and working together through the difficulty.

When shifting from work in the office to working remotely in just my third week at Modthink, I was fearful. But after increased communication with my team through Zoom, Google Docs, Slack, and many other digital tools, we continue to adapt and stay on top of what needs to be accomplished.

Coronavirus will continue to be mentioned as a roadblock in our daily scrums, but we are aware that we can overcome this challenge and still meet the needs of our clients. By accepting it, we can more effectively tackle the roadblock and embrace the changes we can make.

How can you implement short meetings such as scrums for your business to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working effectively?

Dive deep into digital.

Through working remotely comes challenges as well as opportunities.

By working from home, efficiency, focus, and productivity all have the opportunity to increase. While communication may seem like a challenge, the digital opportunities for your team to stay connected are endless.

Let’s take a quick look at some ways you can use those previously mentioned to continue collaborating.

Zoom allows your team to meet and see each other while discussing. At Modthink, we use Zoom quite often, and due to the current circumstances, we will continue to do so. Social distancing does not mean you can’t have social interaction! Instead, use Zoom to stay connected to your team during this time of physical distancing.

Webinars are another unique way to engage with your audience during this time of social distancing. Find ways to engage your client and provide them with helpful information (or we can do it for you).

G-Suite is a platform that holds many different applications for your business (like Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive). Within it, team members can continue creating and editing ideas. Google Drive allows you to share the documents you’re working on with your team to enhance collaboration even in this time of less frequent in-person interactions.

Slack is a great communication program that allows for remote teams to stay connected. Through direct messaging, group messaging, and naming groups for different projects or teams, you can see team communication increase and productivity increase with it!

Embrace pivoting.

Pivoting comes down to willingness. How willing are you to switch your business online? If you said you’re not willing, you will have unsatisfied employees and unsatisfied customers. Your willingness to adapt and be flexible really shows how much you care about others. You must be willing to embrace uncertainty in order to be able to get over roadblocks.

During the stress of moving to online classes, most of the interns at Modthink moving home due to COVID-19, and Modthink had to pivot to a working-from-home environment. Employers who are willing and able to adapt to the growing uncertainty of COVID-19 helps employees feel comfortable with it as well.

Because of the transparency and communication of our team, it is easy for us to be excited to jump continue prioritizing work and helping our clients pivot. We have been encouraged through the pivots we have made as a team through our switch online. Through this, we have all learned how to be willing to adapt to changes in our own lives.

Make the Change!

By working through roadblocks, welcoming new technological changes, and being willing to work as a team, you too can enhance the opportunities for your company. Through the tragedy, uncertainty, and difficulty the coronavirus is bringing right now, your team can still accomplish a lot, show leadership, and be an example to others.

So what’s holding you back? Embrace pivoting and knock roadblocks down during COVID-19 today!

Accept change and make progress during this time of uncertainty. See what you and your team can accomplish even through COVID-19.